Mary jane mccoll



Matted ,gieten MARY JANE MCGOLL, 0F GHIGGG, ILLINOIS.

Letters Patent No. 99,928, dated February l5', 1870.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING VTAX FOR ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS, 8m.

The Schedule referred to in these Lettera Patent and making part ofthe`same. o u

this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view;

Figure 2, a vertical cross-section;

Figure 3, a longitudinal section;

Figure 4, a detached view of the lever and attachments for raising wax;

Figure 5, a view of the knife-heaters; and

Figure a section of the lever with pawl and spring attached, enlarged.

Like letters refer t0 the same parts in all of the tigures.

The nature and object of my invention consists in making the box forholding the wax adjustable in size, so that two or morewidths of wax canbe cut in the same machine; in providing the box with a smooth interiorprojection, so as to produce smooth edges 0n the sheets of wax cut init;and in the blocks for heating the knife.

lo enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improved machine,I will describe its construction and operation. l

Thebox A isA made of wood or metal, and is usually made one foot long,and four inches wide, interior dimensions, but may he made of any othersize desired, and is mounted on suitable supports. I prefer those whichgive it an inclined position, as shown.

The box is open 'at the rear end, and is provided with a false bottom orplate, B, which is supported by the screw Pf The inner edges of thesides are provided with inclines J, as shown, and in order to vary thewidth of the sheets, I provide one or more .false sides, C, which arefitted at their backs to the projection J, and are provided with similarprojections, so as to preserve this feature of the box when used. l

These false sides are held in place by the screw n, or'by any othersuitable device.

rlhe upper and outer edges of the sides are also provided withprojections, which fit into corresponding grooves in the knife-head, andhold and guide it in operation.

The knife-head E is made of metal, or partly of wood, in the form shown,and is provided with a thin sharp knife, D, which extends across thebox, and rests upon it at the edge. y Between the knife and the bridgethere is left an at lig. 3A

This head is operated by means ot' the lever F, which is pivoted to itat k. h

The fulcrnm of the lever is at l, on the arm G, and ther lever isslotted at H, so as to permit the knifehead to move in line with thebox. If preferred, this slot can be made at k.

The heater I is a bar of iron, made to lit in the space between theknife and the bridge, and as it, in use, is too hot to handle with thehand, it is provided with a recessed opening, m, so as to be handledwith a removablehandle, and also with ears or other projections tokeepit in place. To prevent delay, I use two of these for each machine.

By placing a heater on the knife, it is kept at a temperaturesulicientlyhigh to prevent the wax from cracking while being cut;enables me to cut thinner sheets, and to some extent assists in cutting.

Ihe screw P is operated by means of a-ratchet device attached to thelever L, which engages the teeth on the spur-wheel M.

This wheel is made a part of or firmly attached tothe shaft or lcylinderO, which is provided with a yfemale screw, through which P-runs, asshownat lig. 3, and is supported by surrounding support Q, as it is requiredto be of sucient length to operate the screw to the extent of the depthof the box A.

The inner end of the lever L is supported by the collar N, which rotateson the cylinder O, and vthe outer end by a pendent projection,-K, whichis provided with a slot, d, through which the lever passes.

, The movement of the lever isadjusted by the setscrewb, so that thepawl g may be made to engage with each tooth, and from that to eachsixth tooth, so as to regulate the thickness of the sheets of wax cnt,and make them uniform.

The ratchet or pawl g is provided with an extended heel, o, againstwhich a spring, h, presses to insure its operation, and-in order todisengage the pawl, so that the screw P may be run down by taking holdof the handle j.

There is placed on the opposite side of the heel an eccentric, t', whichis operated by the thumb and fluger-piece c. l f

By turning i against the heel o, the pawl will be held permanentlydisengaged; by turning it off, as shown at fig. 6, the pawl will operatethe wheel AM.

In operation, the false bottom B is drawn down into the recess, shown atiig. 3, and the wax heated, so as to adhere to it sufficiently toprevent being drawn back, when, by operatin g the lever L, the wax willrise in the box and 'the cutting commences. The projections J compressthe sides s0 as to produce even edges, and thus complete the sheets assoon as cut for the market, without any trimming.

When the machine is used tull width, the false side C is taken out, andau additional false bottom of the full width of the box, but of the sameform as B, is screwed to B by means of the holes a, so that by the useof false sides, and extra false bottoms, the dimensions of the sheetscan be readily changed, and the thicknessalso by the screw b and ifgreat thickness is desired, a second movement may be given to the leverL before applying the knife.

Having thus fully described my improved machine,

What l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isl 1. Theinterior projections J, for compressing and preserving the sides of thesheets, substantially as specified. Y

2. The false sides C, for changing the size of the sheets, substantiallyas set forth.

Witnesses L. L. BOND, O.y W. BOND.

